Page 56 of Castle of Refuge

“Oh!” Her face brightened like a sunrise. “Thank you, my lord. I cannot ever thank you enough for your kindness. You are a true benefactor to me.”

He was not sure how to deflect her praise, so he said, “I was pleased to help.”

“Are you taking me somewhere in particular?”

They were entering a small forest when he stopped. “Forgive me for not asking... that is, I wanted to show you a few things I thought you might find interesting.”

“The stork’s nest?”

“Yes, the stork’s nest, and a few other places. If you are agreeable.”

“I am always happy to see interesting things. I am still unacquainted with this area.”

“Very good. The first place is just on the other side of these trees.”

They walked through the dense undergrowth of the forest, and when they came out on the other side, they were greeted by the sight of a large, grass-covered mound. He watched Audrey for her reaction.

“What is that? It looks man-made.” Her mouth hung open slightly and her voice was hushed.

“It’s a grave mound, where the ancient pagans who lived here buried their dead. I didn’t know if you would like seeing it—”

“How intriguing!” She ran up to it and pressed her handagainst the side of the bank. “Doesn’t it make you wonder who is buried here? If they were good or bad, what they looked like, what they died of?”

“I have spent some time ruminating over those questions, as well as wondering about their burial rituals.”

She began to walk around the mound, every now and then plucking a wildflower. “I think I love wildflowers so much because nobody nurtures them but they bloom anyway.”

Audrey was a wildflower, then.

“Can I get on top of it and look around?”

“I don’t see why not.”

He gave her a boost by bending down and letting her put her foot in his palm. He had to lean his opposite shoulder against the sloping side of the mound to keep his balance. But she managed to clamber up to the top.

She stood in one spot and pivoted all the way around, looking in every direction. “I can see so much from up here.” She kept staring out, first in one direction, then another. “It’s a sea of fields. That must be a stream over there.” She pointed to the northeast. “I can see a line of bushes and trees, crooked like a snake’s body.”

“That would be the River Ivel.”

“I see some strange-looking trenches over there.” She pointed to the northwest. “I believe they are in the shape of a circle. A trench that makes a perfect round circle.”

“Yes, my father believed it to be some kind of ring created by the same people who built the burial mound, probably a place where they practiced their pagan religion. He said hisgrandfather told him there were once tall stones inside the trench, but he had them hauled away so the men could plow the center of the circle.”

“I would have liked to have seen those stones.”

“He said they were too large and heavy for even ten men to carry.”

She turned and looked down at him with that gentle smile of hers. Did she have any idea how appealing she was? Or that he no longer remembered—or cared to remember—what had attracted him to Lady Ophelia?

“We should have a picnic up here. It is so lovely.” She went back to looking all around her, taking in the sights.

He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he didn’t trust himself to be able to climb up there anymore, now that he only had one arm. But he shouldn’t pity himself. He did like the idea that she was wishing she could go on a picnic with him. He had worried she would be uncomfortable exploring the countryside with only him for company—and protection.

“I have another place to show you.”

“The stork’s nest?”

He nodded.